What's in store for Big Ten football this year?

Friday

Jul 30, 2010 at 12:01 AMJul 30, 2010 at 8:37 AM

Questions abound as the 11 Big Ten Conference athletics directors and future colleague Tom Osborne of Nebraska convene Monday and Tuesday in Chicago to discuss the league’s football future. The Southeastern Conference stuffed its wallet with $14 million from a conference championship game last winter, so it’s unlikely the Big Ten won't take advantage of the new options at its disposal as a 12-team league. Two divisions, with the winners playing for a Big Ten championship and a big payday on national television, is a virtual certainty. But how will that look? And more imminently, how will this season play out?

John Supinie

Questions abound as the 11 Big Ten Conference athletics directors and future colleague Tom Osborne of Nebraska convene Monday and Tuesday in Chicago to discuss the league’s football future.

The Southeastern Conference stuffed its wallet with $14 million from a conference championship game last winter, so it’s unlikely the Big Ten won't take advantage of the new options at its disposal as a 12-team league. Two divisions, with the winners playing for a Big Ten championship and a big payday on national television, is a virtual certainty.

But how will that look? And more imminently, how will this season play out?

When talking pure geography, it's easy to go with East-West divisions. The East would be loaded with traditional powers -- Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State, plus Michigan State, Indiana and Purdue. Nebraska, Iowa and Wisconsin would lead the West, which also would have Illinois, Northwestern and Minnesota.

In a north-south split, the north would consist of Michigan, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Minnesota and Northwestern, leaving Ohio State, Penn State, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana and Purdue in the south.

If it's paramount to evenly split the Big Ten's historical powers -- Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State and Nebraska -- then the league could adopt two groups and a format that protects one rivalry game per school. Such a plan might put Michigan, Nebraska, Illinois, Michigan State, Iowa and Minnesota in one division and Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin, Northwestern, Purdue and Indiana in the other.

An eight-game conference schedule likely would call for each team to play its five division rivals and three games against the other division, including any protected rivalries.

The problem with setting up divisions based on past performance is trying to determine the future. Who knows what will happen. Remember, Indiana became just another basketball team when Bob Knight left town. So how will Michigan recover from Rich Rodriguez's first two coaching seasons, NCAA sanctions and a poor state economy? What happens to Penn State when Joe Paterno retires?

The goal is to avoid what happened in the Big 12, where the south (led by Texas and Oklahoma) overshadowed the north.

Geographic divisions retain more border rivalries that increase the stakes in the regular season, but Delany is a forward thinker.

"First priority's competitive fairness to me,'' Delany said earlier this summer. "Second priority is maintenance of rivalries. Some of them are very important. They're part of who we are, and they're not treated lightly. And then I think the third is what factor, if any, does geography play?''

Indianapolis seems like the polesitter, with experience hosting major events and a new dome. The downtown is fan friendly, a fact that makes the conference basketball tournament a fun weekend.

Even if Big Ten football is built for cold weather, the league may not want to risk bad reviews on a title game played in bad weather. Yet the Big Ten may rotate between domes and outdoors (likely choices are Indy, Chicago and Cleveland) until it settles on one spot.

The SEC set up camp at the Georgia Dome.

Q: Who wins the league's preseason awards?

A: That's easy. Ohio State is the lock for Big Ten favorite, with Iowa and Wisconsin taking the next spots (you pick the order).

After throwing interceptions in seven of Ohio State's first eight games and committing four turnovers in a loss at Purdue, Ohio State junior quarterback Terrelle Pryor rebounded by completing 23-for-37 for 266 yards and two touchdowns in the win over Oregon in the Rose Bowl. Pryor is the top offensive threat in the league.

Michigan State senior linebacker Greg Jones is a returning first-team All-America who skipped a chance to jump early for the NFL and is considered the league's best defender.

John Supinie can be reached at Johnsupinie@aol.com.

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